Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

The Strongest Man in the World Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 2, 2017

The Strongest Man in the World may be the weakest film in the loose "Dexter Riley" trilogy that includes The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and Now You See Him, Now You Don't, the latter of which isn't available on Blu-ray at time of writing. The films follow a Medfield College student (Kurt Russell) who invariably winds up with some superpower, in this film, obviously, that power is super-strength. It's a bit overstuffed and slow but still a decent good time at the movies, a simple, maybe even guilty pleasure that takes itself lightly even as tremendous weight is literally thrown about the screen. It's best enjoyed with modest expectations for humor, drama, and good cheer, all of which are presented in unequal parts but still add up to a mostly satisfying whole, albeit a whole that could stand a little fat-trimming to really make those muscles pop.

Medfield's Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) has run the school into the red and he's being forced out of the job. The college is leaking money left and right but Higgins temporarily wiggles himself off the hook when he promises a 30-day turnaround into the black. Firings and cost-cutting measures are put into place, beginning with the science department where Higgins sees waste in various experiments involving a malnourished cow. But something miraculous happens: a chemical concoction finds its way into a bowl of breakfast cereal. The cow eats it and, only hours later, is churning out thousands of gallons of milk. The following morning, not realizing the connection, Dexter Riley (Russell) eats but a bite of the cereal and discards the rest; the taste is oddly disagreeable. But what follows isn't. He's infused with superhuman strength, able to bend a light post by merely leaning on it. He can lift fellow students in the palms of his hands. The formula is the answer to Higgins' prayers and the school's financial woes, but competing forces are out to sabotage the school's new powerlifting program and soak up all the glory for themselves.

Dexter Riley's final collegiate adventure proves mostly affable if not a bit overstuffed and under-delivered. Much of the film's middle stretch becomes burdened by slowly developing corporate espionage antics that get in the way of the good stuff, chiefly the various feats of strength on display from both Dexter Riley and, much more entertaining, Dean Higgins himself. Certainly the movie can't be a ninety-minute highlight reel of superhuman power, and the shenanigans in the second act offer a necessary counterbalance, but the film feels out of proportion, spending too much time there rather than on the good stuff that most in the audience would probably rather see. A few humorous support bits, such as when a small dog eats some of the cereal and finally gets the better of a much larger and more aggressive Doberman, are thrown in for good measure. Some of the jokes don't work at all -- the dean's super-painful corn on his foot just seems to keep the movie stalled in neutral at the beginning -- and there's not enough humor connected to Reilly's newfound powers. But the film's underlying charms and simplicity keep it going, even if much of the film always feels more like a tease beyond a few minutes' worth of actual "strong man" entertainment.

The Strongest Man in the World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Strongest Man in the World is certainly no looker on Blu-ray, but Disney's 1080p transfer holds its own and, at least, offers an honest leap forward from previous home video releases. Image clarity and stability are improved by the 1080p resolution. Details never reach for the stratosphere, but casual textures on clothes and faces satisfy while some of the odds and ends around the science lab or little bits around the powerlifting competition in the final act show some demonstrable textural robustness. Colors are occasionally punchy but not all that nuanced and, more often than not, not particularly well saturated. Bright reds at the acupuncturist, for example, tend to favor a bit of garishness, but splashes in smaller scales are handled well enough, things like a sofa's fabric or book spines lining a shelf in the dean's office. Black levels have a tendency to push a bit pale. Flesh tones appear more or less accurate. Mild macroblocking and light grain, occasionally a little spiky or snowy, are present. With modest expectations the transfer is fine; anything higher and it's bound to disappoint.

The Strongest Man in the World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Strongest Man in the World's Blu-ray serves up a rather puny Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. It's very basic stuff, obviously limited in range and lacking any surround support. The track conveys the basics adequately enough. Music never stretches all that far to the stage's widest reaches, but general instrumental clarity is good enough to get the idea. It's a bit muddled and messy but it gets the job done. Basic sound effects beyond are limited to a few little things, like screaming police sirens, which, as expected, reproduce the basic sonic signature but little more. Dialogue drives the majority of the film. It's presented with sufficient front-center imaging, though an underlying hiss occasionally accompanies it. Listen around the 58-minute mark as the hiss comes and goes with dialogue. Overall, however, it's enough to get listeners through the movie, no more and no less.

The Strongest Man in the World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Strongest Man in the World, which is exclusive to the Disney Movie Club, contains no supplemental content. The main menu offers only "Play" and "Scene Selection" buttons. The included English SDH subtitles must be toggled on or off in-film via remote button press.

The Strongest Man in the World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Strongest Man in the World is a fun little diversion, a bit dated to be sure and coming up short in terms of both skillfully and frequently showing off the formula's strength and stumbling through a slowdown of a middle act. Still, it proves more entertaining than not and should please audiences looking for a light movie that can throw some weight around. Disney's Blu-ray release of The Strongest Man in the World is, at time of publication, exclusive to the company's online movie club. Video and audio are passable at best. No extras are included. Worth a nostalgic look.